Vigil

s. (vigelza, Latin.) 1, Watch; devotions performed in the customary hours ‘ef rest (Pope). 2. A fast kept before a holiday {Shakspeare). 3. Service used on the night before a holiday (Sézllingfleet). 4. Watch; forbearance of sleep (Faller). Vici_s, in church history, were the perfoctations, which as harbingers went before to prepare for the solemnities of the following days. Whese vigils were much of the same nature as the common nocturnal, or daily morning prayer, which was early, before it was light: and they only differed from the usual Antelucan service in this, that whereas the usual morning service never began till after midnight toward ock-crowing in the morning, these vigils were a longer service, which kept the congregation at church the greatest part of the night. These the Greeks called auwuy des, and the Latins, pern oct at i ones, and per vigil i a, watch ings all the night. St. Chrysostom often speaks of them: <‘ Go into the church,” says he, “* and there see the poor continuing from midnight to break of day: go and see the holy pernoctations, joining day and-night together: behold the people of Christ, fearing neither by night nor cas the tyranny of sleep nor the nece ities ef poverty.” In another place he calls them the continued and perfect night stations, in epposition to the stations by day, which were but partial and imperfect. «« By these,” headds, ** you imitate the station of the angelic choir, whilst you offer UP cxataTavcov UpAvonoryseey, psalmody, and hymnody, ince antly to your Creator. O the wonderful gifts of Christ! The armies of angels sing glory to God above: and _ onearth, men keeping their choral stations in the church, sing the same doxology, after their example. The cherubim above cry aloud, Holy, holy, holy! in the trisagion hymn; and the congregation of men on earth below send fp the same. And so a common general a embly is made up of the inhabitants of heaven and earth together. Their thanksgiving is one and the same; their exultation the same 5 their joyful choral-station the very same.” Chrys. Fu. 4, & 1. de verb. Esai. Vigils were also kept as anniversaries to usher in the greater festivals of the Nativity, Epiphany; Easter, Ascension-day, Pentecost, . as we find mentioned by Tertullian, Lactantius, Chrysostom, Socrates, and many others.